Healthcare has evolved in many ways this year; more than either providers or patients could have possibly imagined. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing a drastic shift toward remote or virtual services, it’s more important than ever before for healthcare providers to take advantage of MedTech apps as much as possible.
Whether for educational purposes or responding to patients, MedTech applications make it quick and convenient for healthcare workers to maximize their time and optimize the services they provide. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best MedTech apps for healthcare professionals and how they can facilitate education, speed up the process of providing medical treatments, boost patient satisfaction, and improve the overall delivery of healthcare services.
Apps for Healthcare Provider Education
The training process for nurses, doctors, and healthcare technicians is lengthy and complex. Before the pandemic, healthcare providers were able to train in an in-person setting, be it at a hospital, medical facility, or school. However, since social distancing protocols have taken effect for months now, it’s become very difficult for aspiring healthcare providers to undergo their necessary training in a physical classroom setting.
Luckily, MedTech apps have that part covered.
Thanks to technology advancements, students training to become healthcare providers can open an app, access all their course documents, and even perform simulated procedures using Virtual Reality (VR). Medical VR apps offer extraordinarily realistic scenarios that enable students to practice their techniques and see the potential outcomes that may result after a surgical procedure, administration of a particular drug, or even what the potential consequences could be for the “virtual patient”.
What’s truly remarkable about medical training apps is the fact that no actual patient is harmed during the learning process. Students can perform several rounds of tests, exploring various hypothetical medication reactions, so they can perfect their techniques before administering care to actual patients.
Below are some of the top MedTech apps for healthcare providers that offer a fast and easy way to access resources and insights into the latest medical trends and topics:
- Medscape – This app offers users the ability to access a range of information, including articles on the latest healthcare developments, medical journals, and even conferences. It helps keep healthcare professionals up-to-date in order to improve their knowledge and skills, regardless of how novel or advanced they are in their practice. The app also offers in-depth information on infectious diseases and other novel resources to keep providers on their toes and deliver the best services possible to patients.
- Epocrates – This application gives users access to an array of other MedTech apps to help them learn more about drug safety, including dosage requirements, treatments for different diseases, and even alternative medicine options. With regard to medications, users will learn more about generic substitutes as well as potential side effects that may arise when combining drugs. There’s even a pill identifier section to help practitioners learn how to recognize medications by their shapes, sizes, and colors.
COVID-19 Detection Apps
There’s something to be said about a great collaboration between two Tech titans, especially when it comes to MedTech apps. That’s exactly what has transpired between Google and Apple. The two tech moguls have recently joined forces to create a COVID Exposure Notification software that lets people know if they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.
According to a joint statement from Google and Apple, the software is more so an API than an actual MedTech app, but the code can be installed into various MedTech applications and gives users the choice to opt-in to the notifications or skip them.
This is a great tool for healthcare providers because it allows them to keep track of the latest virus detection cases and lets them better prepare for patient interaction. If a healthcare professional has come into contact with someone who has COVID-19 or has been in an area where the virus was prevalent, they can make accommodations to avoid patients and help prevent the spread of the virus.
Health Provider Collaboration Apps
Speaking of collaborations, MedTech software providers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from joining forces and sharing knowledge to improve patient care. Healthcare professionals can also learn a great deal by connecting with one another to discuss patient cases and determine the best course of action for treatment, especially when there is a tough case that requires the assistance of a specialist.
Doximity recognized this need and developed a MedTech app that allows physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to reach out to other providers throughout the country to discuss cases and provide better patient services. Think of it as a social network for healthcare professionals where they can communicate and learn from one another.
However, the benefits extend beyond peer-to-peer collaboration. Doximity also allows providers to speak to patients through no-reply text messages or phone calls. The software masks the healthcare provider’s cell phone number and instead displays their office line to patients when receiving a callback.
Also, unlike traditional Telemedicine apps that require patients to download the application and have a virtual face-to-face meeting, the disguised text or call feature lets providers contact patients faster and in a simpler way to give straightforward answers to their healthcare questions or offer a quick diagnosis if the patient has a minor healthcare issue to discuss.
Considering a MedTech App? Koombea Can Help
As we demonstrated in this blog, there are a variety of applications that can benefit healthcare workers. From those that provide access to educational resources to those that offer networking solutions, there are endless possibilities for MedTech companies to choose from when considering building an app for healthcare professionals.
If you have an initial idea for a software solution that may benefit healthcare providers, we’d love to hear from you. The Koombea team has more than 10 years of experience building innovative apps and will help you turn your idea into a reality. Contact us today to learn more about our services and get started on creating your MedTech application.
